Solving the Extra Long Shower Curtain Dilemma

This is how we took a hole in the market and created an extra long shower curtain without needing a seamstress. It’s easier than you might think!

Why Don’t Extra Long Shower Curtains Exist?

We ask ourselves this every single time we go to purchase one! While there are some longer lengths available retail, most of the options require something custom. (Etsy has stellar options, for example.) It’s truly a mystery, you see, because extra long shower curtain liners have existed for as long as I can remember! Why have one item of a pair be widely available without the other?

We’ve made our own in the past, and it was great! It was also costly to have it seamed, and it required a healthy dose of DIY. With our recent bathroom renovation, I knew we could find a better way, and I figured it out! The challenge is that I wanted two things: 1) extra long length, and 2) extra wide width! The additional width provides that same beautiful rippling effect of an open curtain, even when the curtain is pulled taut – which, in our case, is most of the time.

Here’s What I Did

For starters, I ordered this linen curtain, which is 100″ wide and 96″ tall. Here’s a general rule of thumb to keep in mind when choosing a width that will still look full when pulled closed: When possible, order a width that is at least 50% wider than you need. In this case, a 100″ width for a 60″ shower opening worked great!

1| Attach Hooks to Pinch Pleat

The curtain has a pinch pleat and arrives with its own height adjustable pinch pleat hooks. The hooks are plastic and are shaped similarly to a clothes pin, with an additional hook on one side.

On the backside of the curtain, you’ll straddle the hook into the top hem of each pinch pleat, leaving the small hooked side facing outwards, like this:

2| Connect Hooks to Shower Rings

Attach the small hook to your shower ring! We used this rod and these rings for the cleanest look. Then, repeat as many times necessary for all pinch pleats. Our curtain has 17 pleats, so we added 17 rings to our shower rod, connecting every pleat.

3| Add Your Liner

Now, here’s where we got a little creative. Shower liners (this is the one we have) – along with standard shower curtains – will have 12 holes for hanging. We attached the liner to each end, and then strategically skipped every 3rd ring.

4| Enjoy All That Texture!

What’s cool about this method is that the pinch pleat conceals the curtain rod, giving it a more custom look! The hooks are adjustable up to 3″, so you even have additional wiggle room to get the height of your curtain just right, so that it barely kisses the floor below.

Let us know if you decide to give this a try! We enjoy the fullness and extra texture this lends to a room that’s otherwise filled with hard surfaces, such as tile, quartz and plumbing fixtures.

This has been a struggle in the past! Other solutions we’ve tried include a custom Etsy order or adding grommets to panels. We’d love to know if you give this method a try!